The Color Purple By Alice Walker Essay

The Color Purple By Alice Walker Essay

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Everyone has varying purposes for life. Some people are meant to be doctors, teachers, or maids, while others are meant to change the world. These purposes are found through a journey of self-discovery. This journey through self-discovery is also called life. This proves to be true for Celie in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple. Celie’s personality was introverted and invisible during the exposition of the novel. She rarely expressed herself for fear of retaliation from those who abused her. Her character traits transform into strong-minded and independent as she travels through her journey of self-discovery. Alice Walker uses literary elements such as foils, conflict, and symbolism to determine the theme of her novel The Color Purple as life is a journey through self-discovery.
The first literary device Walker uses to convey the theme is foil. Shug Avery, a glamorous and sultry blues singer is Celie’s foil because she has everything Celie does not; she has charm, appeal, and the ability to make other people (especially men) listen to what she has to say. She also brings out Celie’s best qualities while guiding her through the journey of self-discovery. Shug is the person that shows Celie that living a life full of abuse is not a great life to live. She does this when she gives examples of standing up for herself. In letter 33, Celie wanted to see Shug perform at Harpo’s juke joint, but Mr.___ would not let her go, saying “Wives don’t go to places like that,” (page 64) and “My wife can’t do this, my wife can’t do that. No wife of mines...” (page 64) Shug then snaps at Mr.___ “Good thing I ain’t your damn wife.” Mr___ then gets very quiet, and allows Celie to see Shug perform. This event shows Celie that she can be assertive and ...

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...life is a journey through self-discovery. Shug Avery and Sofia’s characters as foils force Celie to realize that women have the power to be assertive and demand what they want. Multiple conflicts exist in the novel, but the conflicts between Celie and Mr.___ over Nettie’s letters lead Celie to believe that there is life outside of her marriage to Mr.___, as well as the group conflict between Shug Avery, Celie, and Mr.___ also makes Celie discover the power of using words to get what you want. Ultimately, Celie’s address for her letters play an enormous role in her journey through self-discovery because her transition from her beliefs about God represent her transition from someone who had no idea who she was to someone has has discovered herself. These literary elements create the theme of life is a journey through self-discovery for Alice Walker’s The Color Purple.

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- Everyone has varying purposes for life. Some people are meant to be doctors, teachers, or maids, while others are meant to change the world. These purposes are found through a journey of self-discovery. This journey through self-discovery is also called life. This proves to be true for Celie in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple. Celie’s personality was introverted and invisible during the exposition of the novel. She rarely expressed herself for fear of retaliation from those who abused her. Her character traits transform into strong-minded and independent as she travels through her journey of self-discovery.... [tags: The Color Purple, Alice Walker]

- “If you want to have a life that is worth living, a life that expresses your deepest feelings and emotions and cares and dreams, you have to fight for it”(Walker Quotes). In The Color Purple by Alice Walker there are many characters that stand out, however, the main focus of the entire story is Celie and the progression of her as a person. Walker at first portrays Celie as this innocent, incompetent little girl that can not stand up to anyone or anything, even if it meant saving her life. However, as time progresses, Celie, with the help of some friends along the way becomes this strong, independent woman who learns to stand up for herself.... [tags: The Color Purple, Alice Walker, The Color Purple]

- Alice Walker book “The Color Purple” is based on racism. Its basically all about black people in a racist time period. Petry states that “Walker has always had a small but enthusiastic following, while her many essays, published in black- and feminist-oriented magazines”(Petry). Walkers strategy was to show feminist and racism in her novel. Petry says “white women are depicted in pornography as 'objects, ' black women are depicted as animals.”(Petry). Petry states that “Celie 's story finds its true point of origin: in a violent racism that, as Darryl Pinckney observes, the novel unfortunately never examines in any significant detail.”(Petry).... [tags: The Color Purple, Alice Walker, The Color Purple]

- In life in general, minor things can often have some powerful meanings, even if we do not take the time to see them. By example, the excitement of the first snow on Christmas Eve or a sunny day on your birthday or even when your favorite song plays on the radio when you enter the car. The Color Purple, a book written by Alice Walker, implicitly demonstrates this theory. Walker’s story takes place in the South of United States after the Civil War, in the same demographic place as Walker was born and raised.... [tags: The Color Purple, Alice Walker, The Color Purple]

- Oppression and Strength In Alice walker’s “The Color Purple” she uses foil characters such as Celie and Shug to express the polar opposites that are inevitably found when abuse occurs. Celie represents submission and low self value. Shug on the other hand represents Independence and intolerance. Both characteristics coincide bringing forth friendship and change. In the book “The Color Purple” the writer Alice Walker illustrates a story of bravery, struggle and oppression. The main character in the book, Celie, is shown as a submissive women with no intention of changing.... [tags: The Color Purple, Alice Walker, Marriage]

- People around us have a significant impact on the way we live our life, whether consciously or subconsciously. In the novel The Color Purple by Alice Walker, the protagonist Celie’s life is greatly impacted by that of her friend, mentor, and lover, Shug Avery. The confident and independent Shug teaches her about equality, the way to be religious without being devoted to a figurehead, and how to respect and love herself. She teaches all of these qualities by living them herself in everyday life; the way she carries herself, speaks, acts, and even prays in ways that inspires Celie.... [tags: The Color Purple, Alice Walker, Thing]

- Symbolism was a major literary element that is developed throughout The Color Purple. A model or image of God in the novel was a truly disturbing and yet a touching dedication to the female spirit and its search for equality, acceptance and independence. The meanings of names, clothes, quilting, occupations, power, and colors are only a few examples of the symbols used by the author to develop the characters of the story. No matter how hard and long Celies looks, it seems impossible to find love and happiness for herself.... [tags: The Color Purple, Alice Walker, Oprah Winfrey]

- In The Color Purple, Alice Walker explores the life of a beaten, black woman who triumphantly finds her way in life, Celie. She writes letters to God, then transitions into letters to her sister Nettie throughout the course of the story. The book begins with Celie at age 14 and ends with her at an estimated age of 55. At a young age, she is raped by her ‘father’ then is forced to marry a man named Mr.___, or otherwise known as Albert. Celie is a sensible woman who learns to deal with the curveballs that are thrown at her.... [tags: The Color Purple, Alice Walker, Self-esteem]

- Alice Walker was born in 1944, she grew up in the racially divided South. She attend segregated schools, which she was the valedictorian of her class. After high school she received a scholarship to attend Spelman College in Atlanta. She switched colleges and then went to Sarah Lawrence College in New York City Living. She decided to study abroad in Africa. She graduated in 1965 which is also the same year that her first story was published. She then went on to publishing her novel the color purple in 1982.... [tags: The Color Purple, Alice Walker, Oprah Winfrey]

- In this paper the author analyzes the contents of the color purple. He attempts to answer the question of what makes Alice Walker’s most popular literary work a feminist novel. First he points out the stigma that involves nearly all of the male gender depicted throughout the story. He takes the time to address the rape that was involved and the manner in which it was implemented. Then the paper discusses how in the color purple women are depicted as being oppressed. And also it talks about how Celie grows as a woman thanks to the aid of two strong female companions.... [tags: The Color Purple, Alice Walker, Gender, Man]